Spring shares insights about Honduras during KC area visit

U.S. economic and political policies are hurting Honduras.That was an opinion shared by Karen Spring, coordinator for the Honduras Solidarity Network, during a recent visit to the Kansas City area that included a presentation at the Rockhurst Community Center in Kansas City, Mo., and an interview with Dos Mundos.Multiple news sources have reported that Honduras is experiencing a human rights crisis. The crisis is rooted partly in the Central American country’s 2017 elections, Spring suggested. In November 2017, Juan Orlando Hernandez was elected president, but the election process was fraught with irregularity, making it impossible to verify the outcome. Election fraud was thought to have been widespread.After the elections, people went to the streets to protest and demand that their rights be respected. In response, Honduran security forces – which are trained by the U.S. government – reportedly opened fire and killed more than 35 people. “While this was happening, President Donald Trump’s administration recognized the (problems of the) election and looked the other way,” Spring told Dos Mundos. “Many people were put in jail to set an example … (for) the population of what happens when they go to protest in the streets for a democratic country.”The legitimacy of Hernandez’s government is still being questioned in Honduras, according to Spring. “Many people believe that in Honduras decisions are being prompted by a foreign government,” she said. “Diplomatically and politically, foreign governments are the ones that are keeping Juan Orlando in power, even though he has no legitimacy.”“They need to stop what they been doing for so many years,” Spring added. “They can’t keep … (propping) up governments that care more about economic interests than human rights issues.”Many Hondurans are fleeing the country and seeking asylum in the United States. In addition to human rights issues, they are fleeing because of issues such as organized crime. “I think that there is a total lack of understanding of the role that the U.S. plays in causing people to … (flee),” Spring said. “And until the U.S. government dramatically … (changes its) standing on Honduras, people will continue wanting to come to the U.S.”To address Honduras’ human rights crisis, Spring encourages Americans to contact their U.S. senators and representatives.

Editor’s note: Some Kansas City area organizations are working to support the Honduran human rights crisis. They include the Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity. For more information about the Cross Border Network, visit http://www.crossbordernetwork.org.